Saturday, May 31, 2008

Hm, looks like our good sides got the best of us. Our un-greediness has prevented us to write a large amount of articles this month (although I wasdesperate to reach at least the 15 article mark). We've only landed 12 articles this month (including this one).

Without further ado, and as usual, the summary:

Scrubbing for my Dollar: Is getting everything you want a good thing?The Way We Get By: Desperate times call for desperate measures...or so they say.[Untitled]: Feelings of yourself and the world will collide.Just One Moment, Frozen: Everyone grows up, at some point.Help! My Favorite Place Has Been Invaded by Vampires and Now I'm Being Held Captive!: Wake-up calls to the things surrounding you everyday.What's the Point?: Questions of the ever-expanding life.Somewhere...Not Here: Traveling is never just an imagination.Can't Change Me: No one else knows about you, nor do you know about someone else.Can Something be Everything?: Nothing can be a something, can it?the 'oh no' situation: A mistake isn't the end of the world.The Day Before Tomorrow...Today!: Current world, TV, and music news talk time!

Going back through all of these articles, it's a nice pleasure to see all these great topics we, the Acquired Minds, have talked about. Yup, that's something only the Acquired Minds can write!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

(Thank you to all these wonderful sites, and to Yahoo! Images & Google Images, for the images in this article).

I'm staring at this blog right now, and I am really depressed at the blankness over the past week. So, in complete stupidity and spontaneity...

It's world, tv, and music talk time!

Yeah, how bad is that? But since there's been so many things going on (and since I have alllll the time in the world yeah right), I'll just blabble about all of it right now.

Let's start off with...uh, well, since it's been so big in the news: the world's natural disasters. The mother of Caspian—there's been an earthquake in China, a cyclone in Myanmar, wildfires in California and Florida, tornadoes in the mid-west/east US, and hail/snow and thunderstorms in southern California (right after it was BLAZING hot). You know, Mother nature is finally giving us the spank we deserve for not taking care of mommy.

Hmm...ooh! I just read this up on Yahoo. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (who is pregnant with twins...what's up with Hollywood and twins?) just bought a brand new estate in southern France. A $70 million home. Yeah. Some people live under a rock (no, seriously) and some people live in homes that includes a three mile long driveway, a private lake, a moat (yup), and a private FOREST. Absurd, but cool. With all their different children, it must be really international at home. But really, Brangelina are truly good people. The two celebrities I hear most that have helped the less fortunate countries are these two.

Then there was Dancing with the Stars. It ended about a week ago (from this post). Kristi Yamaguchi won (as expected from day one...or even day negative fourteen). Mark Ballas finally got the win he would've gotten last season, so yay for both of those two.

And how can we forget about American Idol. Congrats, David Cook. I've watched some of his interviews, and really, Cook's a good speaker in interviews. He has a good choice of words (that I could never think of), and he answers everything confidently (and if you haven't noticed, a pretty versatile and good singer). David Archuleta, sadly, didn't win, even though his ballads were well sung (but you can't imagine him singing anything else). Sorry Archie, Ms. Sparks still holds the youngest spot.

"AAARRRGGGGHHH!!! I AM TOA!" Calm down there, Gladiator. Ever since American Gladiators (season 2) started, I've been watching it. I personally think it's better than the first season...I really like the new challenges. Pretty uberly cool. Even the slim guy who won last season, Evan, is back, and he's the buffed up gladiator named Jet. Amazingly, he's doing a good job at being a gladiator.

Hmm, and then the one my mother watches...The Bachelorette. All I know (from what I've overheard) is that the girl, Deanna Pappas, got dumped by the guy last season (The Bachelor...which, by the way, never happens unless something is seriously knocked up with the guy) and now she's been given the chance to rub it back in his face. Girls are scary, aren’t they? -runs away from angry mob-

Ooh, that must have been painful... The new season of So You Think You Can Dance? has just started. As usual, a bunch of ballet, hip-hop, poppers, and the ordinary weird dancers appeared at the auditions. But that one single dude at the very end of the first audition episode made my day--that popper--is downright the BEST one ever.

Hahaha, and I keep laughing. Kobe Bryant's latest attempt to "jump" over ridiculous and seems-like-impossible things is a jump over a pool of snakes (that, to me, look harmless, especially because other people are swimming in the pool with no problem at all). So really, if he fell in, nothing would happen (so where's the excitement?). His first attempt was jumping over this car that was speeding towards him. Don't ask me on that one, I have no idea if that was real.

There's this extremely cocky guy on Top Chef (on Bravo channel), and he's irritating me to the tips of my nerves. Seriously—he punched a locker and BENT it because he lost a simple challenge...jeez, deal with it, dude.

The wild definitely isn't a fear of Bear Grylls'. He's the guy that's on Man Vs. Wild, on Discovery Channel. He fights his way through all different sorts of terrains, and shows us important survival techniques. It's awesome...especially when he picked up this lizard, swung it like a baseball bat, hit its head on a branch, skinned it, cooked it, and ate it like a carnivore. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

"Dun dun dun dun, dun dun dun, dun dun dun, dun dun dun dun dun!" Uh, how many D's are in that thing? Anyhow, that's the theme song from Indiana Jones. It's all hyped up right now, although I'm not. You know why? Last time I went to Disneyland, they threw me off the line from the Indiana Jones ride because I was too short...TOO SHORT! Shame on them.

Leona, just keep on bleeding, and we'll keep on hearing. I swear—I think I've heard her song a gazillion times already on the radio...even now, "I keep bleeding, I keep on bleeding love" is still ringing inside my head. Ahh!!

-breathes- -pants- I'm serious—that was probably the most satisfying article I've written so far. I actually enjoyed myself while writing it...since this time around, I'm not teaching some cheesy life lesson. Instead, I'm just ranting about the world!...if that was even a rant...

Sunday, May 25, 2008

So, what happens when you're a failure? What happens when you're in a sort of "Fiasco" ? You handle the situation, correct? Or do you run from it. Many times you realize that holy crud, I completely forgot that today my final project is due. You think "this is the end of my life" or worse "I am going to die right now". But really, is it that bad?

You spend your life, or at least I do, getting ready for something. You're given the instructions not to screw up, and when you do, you're not sure you're going to make it. In fact, all you can think about is what's going to happen when such-and-such finds out, or how you'll be punished. What I want to know is why is it that no one thinks ahead of that?

I find that when you're in a bad situation, the best thing to do is to think the words 'there will always be a tomorrow'. Because, unless the world's ending, there really will be a tomorrow. Sure, things seem bad, but eventually there will be some sort of good thing. Or at least I hope there will be. When you realize that final project is due, or that you're forgotten what's happened the night before, the only thing I can tell you is take a breath and remember there will always be a tomorrow. Say it in your head, and then face your consequences full on. Fight back, reason, compromise- do what you have to do.

Do not in under any circumstance, decide to kill yourself with a knife attached to a bike.*

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Why does everything seem to past by so quickly? Why does everything seem to journey by so slowly? There's never enough time to do what we want. Frustration butts its way in, and then you just start to go mad. Then you start to get desperate, so desperate. Desperate for something real. But what defines 'real'? Nothing's 'real' in the world, right? If something is nothing, then nothing is something. Everything is a something.

At some point in our lives, we get what we want. At other times, maybe not. But greed...greed is a termite. A nasty, conniving, little termite. It will eat away at you and your life little by little, nibbling at every bite. But there's an answer. When you're able to grasp a hold onto that right moment, you should exterminate all of those greedy little termites. After you do, you'll feel a lot more refreshing, knowing that those termites won't be back to get you later on.

Yes, the world can turn on you at any moment. Everything may seem like a complete utter chaotic orb of betrayal. But unlike the termites, you can't stop it yourself. You need to holler for help. This may seem a bit oxymoron, but even though the world is being cruel to you, it will always be able to help you, too. Billions of billions of people surround you in this giant world, and someone—anyone—is bound to help you. All you need to do is to say something.

On that note, everything is brought back to where we started—everything is a something. Your computer is a something. Your pen is a something. Your pet hamster is a something. In fact, at times, something can be your everything. Such as the person you love. Nothing...is ever a nothing.

-the clam.

P.S. Just to remind everyone—us, the Acquired Minds, is genuine only to blogspot.com. Any other 'Acquired Minds' (ex: on livejournal.com) is NOT us.

Sometimes people change, for any number of reasons. They might new people, become interested in something that…interests them, encounter new situations, and blahblah. Other times, perhaps, they may become more of them themselves. Maybe with a chance, they do show themselves, it’s either shot down or embraced. Maybe they never had that chance before, and you may not like it when they take advantage of that chance. But who are you to them, or who are they to you, if you despise this “new” person?

Some people can change very easily. With the flick of a finger, and the pain of some noise, they become oh so very different. Not that it matters, of course that is assuming they matter to you. Maybe some people don’t change, and don’t welcome new things that are out of their little safety net, and it can frustrate others. Well, that’s just how some people are, but it’s not like giving up will help either, nor will doing the exact same thing. You can keep trying to break a very large rock, maybe to no avail, or you can just try to something else, like blowing the shi** out of it with a bomb or something. Change of plans, but same wanted result.

Some people are often lost for words. It could be because they’re in shock, in pure admiration, maybe bathing in the sight of something magnificent, or maybe they’re vocal cord was just torn out. Other people just never find the words to say. Some people always do know what to say, what to do, and when to do it. Others are just completely oblivious and idiotic. It’s hard to give aid and relief, when you can’t say anything. It’s also probably really hard to bear the shame of being shunned, maybe because your vocal cord isn’t exactly functional at the moment.

You know how you are, know how it is, and you also know that somewhere, that something, still lingers

I’ve always wondered what traveling consistently and constantly would feel like. Plenty of people do, but more than most of us don’t ever get the chance to, or are just never willing to attempt to. Whether it be touring, traveling from city to city to play matches or games, just following all those games, or just plain visiting, it must be a refreshing and tiring ordeal. You get the chance to visit the world, get away from your own life, and see new things. It also must be a challenge, to have to travel so much, never settling, and never staying in one spot for too long.

I’ve wondered how many people actually try to go out into the world, with little to nothing. There was that movie that described a guy’s ordeal through the wilderness, and how he got there, with little. I’m sure plenty of people have hitchhiked across the country. I’m sure plenty more people have thought about trying such an improbable and risqué thing.

It would be a wonderful thing to periodically escape your typical situation and lifestyle. It would be a relief. It could also be absolutely terrible and disheartening. I guess we just have to settle for that annual vacation.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Have you ever asked yourself, what's the point?What's the point of thinking, when all it does is make your head hurt?What do you think about?Thinking about thinking is quite interesting and annoying, if you think about it.

Once in a while, I would be, say, walking in a neighborhood, and i would think about what people are doing in that house.How about this house? What are people thinking about in there?Could they possibly be thinking the same thing I'm thinking? (which is thinking about what they're thinking?)Oh, I'm just confusing myself. . .

But then, millions of other curious questions are unanswered...just waiting.What's it feel like to be a ghost?Somewhere, on the other side of the world, is there another person that is exactly like me? Like, does everybody have an evil twin?How do you build a time machine?Is the universe really infinate?Where do you really go after you die? Will you be wearing the same clothes that you died in?How was the world created? What if, this entire world that we live in did not exist at all? That all of this, the things around you, including you, are just a hallucination?What do people really think about you?What happens when people don't turn out to be who you thought they were?What does the thrill of sky diving feel like?Who took the time to think of and make up all the math, science, languages, etc., in the first place?Who has the longest full name ever?What will happen if things did not change?What is something that absolutely nobody has ever ever seen before?And countless more questions like these.

Minds are constantly exploding with questions, but which ones?All of these questions.....do you see what my point is? Well, I certainly don't, because I'm thinking that there really is no point to this at all. Is there?

It’s the worst of times when you find yourself slapped in the face- Both physically, and mentally. Either way, the worst feeling is when the one thing you’d grown to love is snatched away, or turned against you. You’re just left clinging for your life, hoping that that one thing will somehow, in some way, go back to the way you knew it.

You’re just desperate for things to be normal again, but things are never normal. Your hopes are at the top, but sometimes there is no choice but for it to be shot down. You learn, but you learn the hard way. You feel like crying, and in your head all you can tell yourself is ‘it’s okay, you’ll be okay’. Sometimes- most of the time- things do get better. Other times, they only get worse.

Imagine yourself, going to your favorite book shop/coffee shop/ record shop, every day. You have friends, you know how it runs- you know how the system works. Then, suddenly, everything changes. The owner dies, and next thing you know there’s a for sale sign on the outside door. You think over and over that the change won’t be that big of a change. You think that maybe if enough people are against it, nothing will change.

Until a few weeks later, you walk towards it unexpecting- thinking that everything will be the same. Only to find it empty- gone without a moment’s notice. You realize then how important that book shop/coffee shop/record shop was to you, and when suddenly, not a month later, there’s a new book shop/coffee shop/ record shop, you realize that it’s something that can’t be replaced. It’s too important to you.

You see, all the people are still there. All the same people who’ve known you by name, or have seen you around. The only thing is that this time around, there are also the new faces nobody’s ever seen before. You should be glad they’re there, but you’re not. You miss having good old Rhetta bringing you a coffee/ recommending a cd/ getting you a book. The coffee/books/cds just aren’t/isn’t as good as before. Everything is tainted with that newness that’s screaming in your face.

You didn’t realize how important something was to you until it was gone, and now you’re just left desperately hoping that somehow time would turn back and everything would be back to normal. That the same table you sit at by the window still had ‘Fck whatever president on it’.

Things have changed, and sometimes it’s not okay, and you don’t want to be on your way. You just desperately want things to be the way they are in your head. Desperately.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

The way time works for someone like me is this: Fast, quick, and unnoticed. For a while now, it seemed like my life moved with me; so therefore nothing changed. My Mom was still younger than she looked, my Dad still had that too large belly, and my brother- although married- was just my brother.

Maybe it was because everything came in a pace, but sometimes when something throws you off, it really throws you off.

It was any other day, and it was cold out despite the fact that it was almost Summer. I exit my Grandmother's house, and walk towards the parking lot, where my Father's car is. As I'm walking I see my friend's mother walking out of the hall leading to the lot. I smile at her, and suddenly, running out of the hall behind her is her youngest son.

Now, my friend had moved here two years ago. He has a family of five: three boys, and one Mom. No Dad. Nothing. Well, when my friend had first moved here, the youngest son was just a baby- he couldn't even walk. This all registered as I watched this little human run by me, laughing gleefully.

And I realized at that moment, that a lot of time had passed. Two years had turned a baby who needed his mother to carry him to a little boy who could run around and see the world. For a minute, I just stood there, shocked.

I remembered all this stupid stuff that I never really remember until I'm sad. I remembered seeing my friend before he was my friend, when he was the new neighbor, and he was kneeling down and comforting his younger brother, who then was just a little boy. I thought about how that little boy was now in the fourth grade, and I thought about how my friend wasn’t as I thought of him then. He wasn’t kind and caring, he ditched class and did who knows what.

And I just stood there, and for the first time in who knows when, I just felt incredibly sad. I realized I was growing up. There was no Neverland, and no matter what I wouldn’t be able to imagine myself a meal in a few years. I wouldn’t be carefree, and the responsibilities that are already beginning to pile up are going to pile higher.

Eventually of course, I continued walking, feeling incredibly bittersweet. But now, when I think back to that one moment, that little boy rushing past, I just smile. It’s amazing what can trigger such a feeling, but it’s moments like that that really give me a reality check.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

How do you see the world around you? Do you wake up every morning telling yourself, “today is going to be stupendous”? Do you see each day as a chance to do something great and meaningful in the world? Do you see each day as the time you must endure until you fall asleep again? Do you see each day as painful torture?

How do you see the people around you? Do you see them as wonderful, cheerful people? Do you see them as people you should unconditionally be kind too? Do you see them as cruel sadists who take advantage of your kindness, and therefore you hate their rotten guts outs?

Could it be true that the way people treat you is a reflection of the way you treat others?“treat others as you would have them treat yourself”

Do you hide yourself from the rest of the world, maybe because you’re afraid, pr perhaps, you’re just sick of it all.

Maybe, you don’t even give donglefuidck about any of this (its the little thing on the bottom left).

Aimless wandering usually isn’t fun. Neither is aimless pondering. When you do, you’re pretty much lost. It could be literally being lost, being lost mentally, or just a certain feeling. The feeling when you just sit there, after you’ve aimlessly pondered, and wonder, what was all that for?

You feel you’re doing everything wrong. Of course, you haven’t, and you know it, but you’re not quite ready to accept it. You’ve done bad things, maybe you haven’t exactly killed a million people, but you haven’t really done anything good either. It’s an odd feeling, and indescribable one. My attempt at describing something indescribable would fall short, but here it is: it feels there’s a huge bomb inside of you. It’s blown up, and you’re waiting to feel it. Yet you don’t exactly have fire and debris flying out of your mouth and nostrils. The tension of waiting to feel it, feels like it could kill you already. It’s that tension, that anxiety that can just drive someone mad. There’s not much to do about it but try and relax, but that’s sort of hard sometimes. You know you have to fix whatever the problem was. You know you have to do something, at least should. Yet, there you sit, aimlessly meandering fields of grass. Fields empty of everything, but the grass under your feet, and you.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Desperate times call for...desperate measures? Or so they say. Still, they (whoever "they" are) are right. When you're desperate there's not much you can do. Desperation can lead to acts of glory, or acts of worthy of nothing less then a fling of dung. Quite often pressure follows right behind desperation's tail, leading the unwary to do stupid things. That, or it would allow some people to truly stand away from others, and show themselves.

"In life you need either inspiration or desperation."-Anthony Robbins

Regardless of who Anthony Robbins is (apparently some public speaker/self-help guy), that is a good quote. In life, you need some sort of motivation to move on. You need something that will drive you forward. Without a destination, what's the point of a journey? Why should you compete, when you don't expect to gain anything from it? Why should you learn if you're not going to use that knowledge? Why should you? To an extent, that good quote is also wrong (maybe). Perhaps, the point of the journey, is to realize what the destination is.

Friday, May 2, 2008

To start off the month of May, I’ll write a little something about ‘greed’.

Being my bored self, I took a look at my aunt’s bookshelf, and I spotted an odd looking book, titled “DUH! The Stupid History of the Human Race”. (hmm, maybe that’s true…). I flipped to a random page in the book, which led me to “Chapter 14: Dumb Things Famous People Said.” Wow…really, really interesting…is it?

Actually, it is. Coincidentally, this quote was on the page:

“I think greed is healthy. You can be greedy and still feel good about yourself.”-Ivan Boesky, financier

I laughed to myself when I read that. In some ways, that’s true—because when you’re greedy, it’s always about yourself. Moments where you feel greedy are the moments where you feel selfish. Don’t take me wrong—you might not be a selfish person, but everyone has their own selfish moments, right?

I can’t even recall the countless moments where I’ve felt greedy. Ranging from video games to books to music, I’ve always dreamed of getting everything. I mean, if you have an amount of wealth equal to that of Bill Gates, you could just point to something you want and you’ll get it! How GREAT is that?

But then again, would you have the same feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment when you buy the item? When you work extremely hard for your money, and you actually start spending it on something, you feel good when you get it, because you know you earned it really well. I mean, you also ‘earned’ the bunches of money you have (when you’re wealthy), but when you earn less, everything you buy will seem so much more valuable. Instead of saying “Oh, wow, the newest Guitar Hero is being released tomorrow. I’ll just go tell my chauffeur to drive me there tomorrow and get it,” it’d be much more satisfying in the end if you said, “Oh, the newest Guitar Hero is being released tomorrow. Let me work hard to earn the amount of money, and then I’ll go buy it!” That way, while you’re playing the game, you’ll have a warm feeling on the inside that you worked your butt off to get this time to play.

Dang! That was a long, random ramble. I’m just sittin’ here at my aunt’s computer in San Diego typing some random article because of this random spark of inspiration from this random book I found on her random bookshelf. Yeah…random.

The I-C

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August's Theme:Short (& Sweet) StoriesWelcome to the Acquired Minds. We're just a group of average peoplethat enjoy speaking our opinions (we all know opinions are important, right?). We talk about life...tell you hilarious jokes and tips...and inspire the uninspired. Enjoy.

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